OVERNIGHT FLYING CAPER
(Feathered World) Jul 2000
When a kit of pigeons drifts out of sight, at an altitude of 500 feet or
more, and at the same time is swallowed up in declining daylight, followed
by darkness, only the Almighty knows what such pigeons will do.
They may pitch on some roof top, only a couple of hundred yards away, very
briefly, before striking up again and returning to appear, equally briefly,
over the area of the loft. In good daylight, of course, it would be more
difficult for them to do this, without being detected, as long as and only
if extremely experienced surveillance was being carried out. Now, even in
good daylight, Tipplers are notoriously liable to fly rather low and drift
out of sight. Under the rules, they are allowed to disappear for one hour,
therefore if they put in an appearance, at least once per hour, they are
reckoned to be on the wing. With experience, we know that a very high flying
kit can easily be out of sight due to really excessive altitude, excessive
range or both of the factors.
An awful lot of trouble and heartbreak has been caused by excessively high
flying. Typically, the kit is observed -looking good at 5,000 feet, showing
up as tiny specks only. Only a trained pair of eyes can possibly search for
them and find them. There is such a wide expanse of sky and they are so
notoriously liable to roam far away. At that kind of altitude and with that
kind of ranging, such a kit could be unobserved for more than one hour,
throughout the entire day. Disqualified, for being out of sight for more
than one hour, even after initial extra allowance of two hours. A half hour
after disqualification, the kit returns, still at great height. It is
perfectly obvious, that such a kit cannot possibly have been down -but the
disqualification still stands, even though the kit continues faultlessly for
the rest of the contest.
During the same contest a low flying kit will win. These low flying periods
are notoriously liable to 'rest periods' on some building out of sight of
the actual loft area. this means that absence during these low flying
periods, is always suspect, but after dark, even more suspect.
I have always said that proper surveillance is a task for people with a lot
of experience and a lot of integrity. Integrity on its own is not enough,
because without knowledge, a kit of defaulters may go undetected. I will go
further and say, that even with experience and integrity, many Tippler kits
have managed to defect, only to be seen by other people, who may or may not
have been hostile.
Reports of pigeons that have flown overnight are not all that rare. I've
written about my own experiences. On investigation, the story is always the
same. Pigeons, last seen at great height when the last threads of daylight
leave the sky -are again seen up at great height - at the crack of dawn.
They cannot possibly have been down so overnight flying is claimed. In Iran,
USA and Europe, there have been claims of 24 hour-duration flights. Our
Champion, 'Harry Shannon' seems to be in no doubt that in future the
official record will extend to overnight times, yet I cannot tell you how
suitable supervision can possibly be carried out . It certainly would be a
task--a very difficult task even for an extremely dedicated and experienced
person of absolute integrity.
Then, just once in my experience, I knew of a kit that vanished in the
darkness and at 1,000 feet or more, altitude. At 11:45 PM a fellow-fancier
observed three pigeons, that dropped on the old Ecclesfield Church. Later,
he and the owner visited the Church and with the aid of a powerful torch,
identified the kit, that had vanished from Wincobank a few miles away.
However, at dawn, this kit was seen touring the Wincobank district in good
order and at 2,000 feet high.
Therefore, it seems that they can take off again, either in the dark or at
the crack of dawn and reach 2,000 feet very soon.
How long does it take high flying pigeons to rise to 2,000 feet? Well!
My own rollers do it pretty often, in about five minutes - if the breeze is
right.
One of Jack's Competition Roller hens typical of the breed.